


As luck would have it

by cloud_in_a_bottle



Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Crime, F/M, Modern AU, Team as Family, someone gets framed for murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 10:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24968398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloud_in_a_bottle/pseuds/cloud_in_a_bottle
Summary: The economic instability of quasi-modern Konoha fuels the war between its para-military protection corp and an elusive band of anarchists. Sakura somehow gets caught up in the middle of it all – as usual. AU. ItaSaku. Team 7 friendship. Akatsuki & friends.T for swearing, sexual suggestiveness, some violence.
Relationships: Deidara & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Itachi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

Sakura limped away from her crash site, down a concrete ramp and out onto the evening street. Lucky me, she thought sarcastically. Always so lucky. Lucky enough to still be _alive_ , at least, if only barely. Her entire body felt like it had been crushed. And pulled, and twisted – _especially_ twisted – and contorted into unnatural shapes… she shuddered.

Not so lucky on the contents of her wallet. Konoha’s industrial sector was not a pleasant place to be, and Sakura bemoaned the thought of not being able to pay for a cab all the way back to the city center. She winced and limped into the empty street, surveying her surroundings. Nothing, nothing, and very little. She sighed and made her way towards the “very little” end of the street.

She was _sooo_ lucky, she mused sarcastically. Never before had her flexibility been tested at such a high-stakes level. Her muscles had twisted and cramped with the harsh movements of small-space parkour she put them through to evade her attacker. Her arms felt like jelly, and her legs… well, at least she hadn’t rolled any ankles. _That_ was a small miracle. She could not, however, put much weight at all on her right leg.

Both knees throbbed. She’d wedged herself into an alcove not much taller or wider than her torso, and had to hold her head to her chest to keep in shadow _for an hour_ while whoever-he-was paced around, trying to sniff her out. The dedication that guy held to his scummy orders was enough to make her want to vomit. She would have prayed, if she were the praying type, for the thick brick building to completely cave in and stop totally blocking the use of her cell phone.

 _Cell phone_ , she thought with a groan. If only she had _zipped_ the pocket that held her cell phone! Then it wouldn’t have slipped out as she hung sideways and dropped like a stone three stories down a shaft. Sakura groaned, remembering. She imagined flipping through her contacts, frowning at this and that, deciding who best to bother at the early dinner hour and, more importantly, who would _pick her up_ in the most timely fashion. Instead she gingerly reached back and rubbed her neck. Moving her head hurt too much to think about.

She _definitely_ had knots in places she never dreamed there could be knots.

Her body _hurt,_ dammit. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep, preferably _forever_.

Nearing a few shockingly well-kept storefronts, she spied her options, intending to beg the use of a phone. Despite her lack of contacts, there was _one_ person who’s number she had memorized. It was a rusty memory, leftover from months of sneaking shy glances and falling over herself to impress that one special boy. When they passed out their recruit’s contact list, she had treated the paper like it was made of gold, had scanned the list for Uchiha Sasuke and burned his number into her memory. Six years later, feelings had faded, but hard-worked memory had not.

Sakura briefly eyed an inviting sign that read ‘UDON’ before resting her gaze on a narrower shop advertising a masseuse. She gripped her mostly empty wallet and sighed. She wanted to eat. But she had food at home, and even if she was too lazy to make herself dinner, it’s not like she would _starve_ before the morning.

But if she fell asleep without _stretching_ , her body would be _totally unusable_ tomorrow. And knowing herself very well thank you very much, she would tumble into bed without a second thought as soon as she got home. _She_ wouldn’t put herself through the pain of limbering her tight muscles, pushing out the knots – she shuddered just thinking about the stress of it - but if she _paid_ someone to do it _for_ her… Seedy little places were cheap, right? She chewed her lip, thinking on her indecision.

The bells of the massage parlor tinkled merrily as she stepped through the doorway. The shop was empty – totally, weirdly, empty. She walked up to the well-dressed man behind the counter. He was writing in a large appointment book, hands moving quickly across the page. He looked up as she approached and froze, the pen hovering.

Sakura fumbled ahead with a “hi, uh, I’m wondering what you charge?” before she swept her eyes up to his face. She quickly took in his black hair, black eyes, and stoic features and paled as recognition washed over her. _Uchiha Itachi._ She’d never seen the man in person before, but there was a striking resemblance to the picture hanging in the station’s _wanted_ board.

A quiet gasp of “ _what the fuck_ ” was surprised out of her. Why did she have to run into this man _now_ of all times?

Neither person moved. The breath left her body and she trembled with the panic of fight-or-flight. She felt his eyes tracing into her pink hair, over her face, down to where her hands clutched her wallet, eyeing her obvious injuries with interest. Did he know her, she thought with a panic? Did he know of her affiliations? She remembered how her Konoha Defense issue forehead protector was currently tied around her waist, on full display, and inwardly cursed.

He would surely kill her right then and there. They were utterly alone, and she did not doubt that he kept the appropriate instruments on his person. She felt cold all over. It was still too early for the street to be darker than the shop, so they wouldn’t be seen clearly from the outside. She was far too tired to properly defend herself, which he must have instantly noticed.

He had stopped writing in his appointment book and still held the delicate pen poised. Sakura could feel her face burning and her head reeling. Their eyes locked and the moment stretched out. She wondered what she should do, what was causing his physical delay. His lips parted and she tried to smoothly reach down into her holster behind her back. His eyes flicked down and his hand moved.

She was sure this was it. He would kill her with that pen as she stood there dumbfounded. He would chop up her body and put the pieces in trash bags and weight the trash bags down with rocks and dump them in the river. She twitched, but he only put the pen down and said “good evening, ma’am. Please, follow me,” quite amicably.

She blinked at him. “Ah-ah-I…” she stammered out.

He gave her a simple smile and swept his hand in the air. “Please, do not let my appearance put you off.” Appearance? There was nothing wrong with his appearance.

Somehow, Sakura found her voice. “Yes, that is what I- well I did come here for- a massage…” she trailed off. What else could she do? Running would pique his suspicions, and it’s not like she would get very far. On a good day she might be able to outrun him, but this was _not_ a good day. With every nerve in her body on full alert, she rounded the counter and followed him through a doorway with a red beaded curtain. _Cliché._

In the main room, there were two rows of identical low mats with long red blankets laid out on each. This room was dimly lit and there was soft music playing. Numbly she followed Itachi – _Itachi_ , she inwardly screamed – to the second mat on the left, where she was directed to remove her shoes, socks, metal, and bulky clothing. While she did this he disappeared into a back room.

Was he going to get a more effective weapon? She should run, right now. Unsure of herself, Sakura folded her outerwear neatly beside the mat and piled her shoes, socks, wallet, forehead protector and, regrettably, her weapons holsters beside them. She had hardly a chance to think about her predicament when Itachi came back carrying a wide, steaming tray, which he placed at her feet.

She followed his lead as he gently lifted her feet by the heels and eased them into the hot water. She moved herself so she could more comfortably hang over the front of the mat, wincing at the added pressure on the back of her legs. The water was so hot it stung and gave her that pins-and-needles feeling of warming her extremities too fast.

Wordlessly, he placed a hand on her shoulder and another on her lower back and eased her down to lay on her back, lower legs still hanging into the hot water. For all his gentleness, Sakura tensed with the contact. With her eyes wide open, she stared at the ceiling, daring not to move. If he was going to hurt her, he would have done so already, she reasoned.

Itachi had no interest in hurting her. He _did_ recognize her – there was only one pink-haired young woman on the Konoha Defense Corp, after all. Haruno Sakura. Itachi made sure to know about the people in his brother’s squad.

When he pulled over a short stool and took hold of her right wrist, Sakura willed her body to focus on deciphering the design on the ceiling. It was red and white stylized clouds printed on black. She traced the curvy white outlines with her eyes, keeping her head stock still.

Her hand twitched involuntarily with the jolts of pain caused by his stretching and straightening out her fingers. He must have put some kind of soft oil on his hands, because they glided over her skin smoothly despite her prominent calluses.

Her muscles relaxed involuntarily as his thumbs gently kneaded the pads of her hand and trailed down her forearm. His touch sent her a tingle of bliss. She slid her eyes over to him, feeling her cheeks warm with a light blush. It felt good. _Of course it does, it’s a massage_ , she chided herself. He was bent over her hand, concentrating with the gentlest look on his _actually very attractive_ face.

Not much to do now but let it happen, her traitorous mind reasoned.

He worked movement back into first one hand, then the other, before having her roll onto her front. This was a clothes-on type of establishment, but that didn’t stop her from feeling the heat of his fingers pressing into the soft parts of her back.

When his hands grazed the sides of her neck, she tensed again. She _swore_ that was a soft chuckle behind her. A flat palm braced against her shoulder so the other side could smoothe along her neck, feeling for tension. She exhaled softly when he found that one spot at the junction of neck and shoulder that was making her stiff. _Oh, that was good_.

His moving hands provided the realignment her sore muscles desperately needed. His intimate knowledge of violence, pain, and the limits of the human body no doubt enabled him to regognize the exact places she needed the most working over. Sakura, in extreme gratitude, could not find it in her to be mad about who he was, given the relief he was giving to her. Her muscles slowly melted into bliss, lulling her into a rhythmic dream state. She closed her eyes and thought of nothing but red and white clouds in a black sky. And then it was over.

She gathered her things in a dazed sort of muteness that sometimes comes after really good sex.

“How- how much?” she stuttered, standing again at the front of the shop and clutching her belongings to her chest. That was not something that came after sex, normally… ugh, Inner Sakura facepalmed.

He ignored her question, waving a hand in a negative gesture. “A hot bath will help with the aftereffects,” he told her quietly, “you will want to, trust me.”

 _Trust_ and _wanted poster_ did not go hand in hand. “Um..” she gripped her wallet. Should she ask again? She hovered.

“Do not worry about the bill, Haruno-san,” he said. “Perhaps next time, you may settle your tab.”

She parted her lips in surprise. Surprise at still being alive, surprise that he casually let on that he knew who she was, surprise that he was being so _nice?_ If he was really letting her go… she darted a glance at his eyes, which were watching her. There was a peculiar look on his face that was something like amusement and guardedness. Sakura practically fled out of there with a tiny “ _meep._ ”

She quickly crossed the now dark street and ducked into the udon shop to beg for their phone, still feeling a little flushed.

Calling Sasuke was now absolutely out of the question - Sakura felt like she didn’t have enough luck to warrant _asking_ for more problems this evening. Instead, she dialed the non-emergency Defense Corp number. Pick up, pick up, _please_ pick up.

_“Konoha Defense, this is Shizune speaking.”_

Well, perhaps her luck had not yet run out.


	2. Chapter 2

She fell asleep in the car. The Hokage’s assistant didn’t ask questions or rouse her until she pulled up in front of Sakura’s apartment building.

Shizune’s creased brow belied her worry. “I’ll come by to drive you to in tomorrow, Sakura. We were worried…” There was an unasked question.

Sakura managed a grateful smile. Hopefully it looked better than the wince that it felt like. “Shizune, thank you,” she said, and she meant it. “I- I’ll make my full report tomorrow.”

Shizune nodded, hands kept on the steering wheel.

“It was… well I’m still not really sure what to make of any of it,” Sakura scratched her head. “I was attacked, but I don’t know who…”

Her friend gave her a warm smile. “Get some rest, Sakura. We’ll talk to you in the morning.”

Ten minutes and four ungrateful flights of stairs later, Sakura lay in bed, unwilling to move. She was not going to take a hot bath despite the high recommendation from one Uchiha Itachi. That was not going to happen. Her bed was too much of a big encompassing pillow. Sakura was convinced that nothing was better than sleep at this second.

Yet she stared at the ceiling, mind overwhelmed by these past events. That man who interrupted her watch and attacked her without warning… she had no idea who he was or what he wanted, except maybe to kill her. Lazy, she was so lazy, to let her guard down even on a C-rank solo city watch rotation. Lucky, her mind supplied. She was lucky, at least, to be alive.

She tried sleeping, but kept seeing red and white clouds and hearing soft murmurs from a wanted murderer.

“Perhaps next time, you may settle your tab.” Her face burned with embarrassment. That was… unnecessarily dirty. Or maybe it was just her stupid mind. She slapped a hand against her face. Settle your tab. For god sakes. She was _Defense Corps_. And she had just accepted a personal favor, offered by the infamous criminal, Uchiha Itachi. Did she _owe_ him? Better question: did _he_ think she owed him?

What _exactly_ did she owe him.

What was she supposed to tell Team 7? What would she tell Sasuke? ‘I ran into your brother the other day. Yeah, the one that killed your parents and your cousin. Nice guy. He gave me a free massage!’ Oh gods, what had she done?

* * *

Sakura trudged into the office the following morning, dragging her feet the entire walk from Shizune’s car in the underground parking garage into the elevator bank. Shizune was cheerfully talking away about something. She was just filling the silence with soft and mundane chatter, and Sakura was grateful at her ability to know what to do. Psychologists, she smiled to herself.

She thanked Shizune and gave her a brief hug at the top of the elevator ride. The Defense Corp. headquarters was freshly swept. Her boots echoed on grey tile floors.

Naruto and Sasuke weren’t there; they had a mission outside of the city.

Sakura let her steps take her around the outer perimeter of the headquarters. The external hallway looped around the south, southwest, and west corners of the fifteen story building. At floor ten looking southwest, she could see the outer wall of the city bordering Training Ground Three. It gleamed rust red in the morning light, stark against the lush field and forests.

Tsunade looked up the moment Sakura darkened her doorway. Her shishou liked to keep the lights off in her office most mornings, and today was no exception. Her custom tinted windows kept the hangover brightness of whites, blues, yellows, and reds of Konoha buildings at bay.

Sakura sank into a seat with no introduction and told Tsunade everything about the man who tried to kill her yesterday. The Defense Corp. Hokage studiously followed her story, asking questions about what the man had been wearing (nondescript browns, no affiliating marker).

“There’s one other thing… I saw someone…”

She omitted the part about her encounter – it’s not like anyone could prove it, anyway. _Unless there were cameras._ In the massage parlor? Unlikely. _Criminals, Sakura._ Inner Sakura happily supplied visions of her worst fear of being found out and pranced around anxiously inside her head. Sakura bit her tongue.

Tsunade quickly glanced through her office window to the adjacent room, counting the people nearby as if Uchiha Itachi himself was on his way to mount an attack on the Headquarters.

In hushed tones, she said, “that man… are you sure?”

Sakura nodded. “Yes, Shishou, I am absolutely sure.”

Tsunade sat back in her chair, looked out the window over Konoha city for a minute. “Five years ago, he was questioned in connection with three suspicious deaths. He was… helpful. It wasn’t until after we let him go that we learned he confessed to his brother, and… gloated.” She grimaced. “I cannot imagine the horror that he inflicted on your squad-mate that night.”

Sasuke.

“Did he see you?”

“I-I don’t think so. I was across the street, calling Shizune.” She pinched herself under the table to keep a straight face.

“Good. That man is nothing short of a demon. The things that he has been involved with since then…”

Sakura thought of the amicable smile he had given her. Of how nice he was to her. “What do we know about him?”

“He is powerful, Sakura. Strong, cunning, maybe the most powerful killer in the city. He wasn’t part of the Defense Corp., not directly – he was special ops, going on top-secret missions mostly outside of our borders.”

“He was with us?”

“I wasn’t around then, obviously, so I don’t know everything. But yes. His whole family was. Then he went into hiding and no one heard from him for two years.” She banged her fist on the table. “We didn’t know! We had him, and we let him go.” She grimaced. “He came back, obviously. Rumors, sightings, more bloodshed.”

“What do you mean?”

“Akatsuki,” she said dryly.

“The anarchist organization?”

“Somehow he became affiliated with them… whether he sought them out or they recruited him, I don’t know.” She sighed. “We cannot let his sighting go unnoticed. We will bring him in. The murders were…gruesome.”

She nodded. The downfall of the Uchiha. Once Konoha’s proudest founding family, now reduced only to two members. Sakura shuddered at the thought of arresting the kind masseuse. He had to know that anything that happened to him would be _her_ doing. The thought sent a weight into her stomach.

Tsunade looked over her shoulder and straightened up, then sighed. “Here he comes. Our meeting is over.”

Sakura tilted her head, looking confused and slightly frantic. “Who..?” She turned to footsteps pounding on the tile floors. “Naruto!”

He launched himself into her open arms. God, she needed a hug! She buried her face in his shoulder. Naruto always smelled so good – like home, and peace. “Naruto, I’m so glad you’re back! How was your mission?”

“What the hell happened? “ He asked, completely ignoring her question in favor of his own. He was like that – he had to know she was ok. “We just got back into town. You were attacked?”

“They got away.” Sasuke walked up behind the embracing pair.

From over her shoudler Naruto went “huh? How do you know?”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “You sprinted up here so fast you didn’t even see me stopping to talk with Shizune.”

“Dobe…!”

Sakura smiled warmly at her teammates. “I’m fine, guys. Really.” She glanced at Tsunade, who nodded. “We still don’t know who came after me, but,” she shifted into a teaching voice, “he was very skilled – yet he wore no mark. And his clothing was very basic – purposfully basic, actually. So we can assume that it’s likely he _is_ part of a shinobi organization, but wanted to hide which one.”

“Che, sneaky bastard. No honor, then.”

She nodded. “No honor. I have some scrapes and sprains, and I’m really stiff and sore in a few places, but nothing major.” Sasuke looked at her and she avoided eye contact. “Mostly I hid.” This seemed to satisfy the Uchiha. She smiled warmly. He really did have her back – both him and Naruto.

After she and her inseparable boys went out for a mid-morning coffee at their favorite nearby shop, the next two days passed in a blur of paperwork and desk duty – who knew there were so many forms to fill out when you were attacked by an unknown operative? She half suspected Tsunade knew she was someone’s target and wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case.

When Tsunade signaled to Sakura on Thursday that “It” was happening tomorrow, Sakura’s heart sank into her stomach. No, this was a good thing, she reasoned. All intelligence pointed to this being a Good thing. Uchiha Itachi was a dangerous man and he needed to be brought to justice. But for some reason it still felt bad.

* * *

Uchiha Itachi was tidying the front desk area of the massage parlor on Friday afternoon with his back to the door when the door chimed. He paused in his moving a stack of papers and sighed, already knowing what was coming.

“Uchiha Itachi…!” A deep voice called out. “You are under arrest for the murders of Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, and Uchiha Mikoto. Turn around with your hands on your head!” Why did the man name his mother last? Itachi wondered. His mother should be first. She was the most important.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke leaned next to the door to the Konoha Defense Corp. break room on Thursday evening. Naruto was late. He expected this from Kakashi, but even Kakashi should not be able to keep Naruto this long. He eyed the clock. He didn’t even think Naruto showered most of the time, so why was he taking so long to clean up? He only fell into the mud pit _once_ , after all – Sasuke pushed him in the other time – he smirked. That was satisfying. Naruto’s face as he wind-milled his arms in a futile attempt to right himself. The stricken look of _pure betrayal_. Heh. His stomach rumbled in hunger.

A woman in unmistakable blacks and greys suddenly came into his view. She stopped a respectable distance and turned her head towards him pointedly. Root people gave him the creeps, if he was being honest. Their emotionless faces gave off an air of arrogance and disinterest.

Sasuke straightened. “What do you want, Root,” he sneered.

“Where is Haruno Sakura.” The woman tipped her head. “Call her in. Now.”

“She lost her cell phone.” Sasuke kicked off the wall to raise himself to his full height and crossed his arms. “You can wait to talk to her when she comes in tomorrow.”

“We recovered her cell phone.” Everything about her face was grave and disapproving. “We found it next to the body of the soldier she killed three days ago.”

* * *

Sakura was so nervous knowing about Itachi’s arrest today that she dropped her keys on the way to unlock her door. Her apartment was eerily silent. In the dark, a shape moved from inside her kitchen.

She gasped in surprise and stepped back, taking a guarded stance.

“Sakura, it’s me.”

“Shishou! What are you—”

“You’re in danger, Sakura.”

Her eyes widened. Had they found out that she was friendly to Itachi?

Tsunade went on without pausing. “Sakura, Root filed a report. They’re claiming you murdered a field operative. His body was recovered in the industrial sector… next to your cell phone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this will update once a month / once every 1.5 months, I'm sorry! I worked crazy hours the past couple months (60+ hour weeks). 
> 
> It's funny how you can spend years perfecting one story and then dream up a totally complete new story in one weekend. That's what happened here - I came up with this story in a weekend; sketched out all the chapters. Chapter 2 is the shortest - 3 and 4 will be quite long by my standards.
> 
> ~Back to writing, re-writing, and editing! Thanks for reading!
> 
> \- Cloud

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Itachi would give a great massage.  
> This work should be short - about 6 chapters. Thanks for reading! :)


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